In 1997, Simon Porte Jacquemus was seven years old, he tells us as we gathered right outside of Paris in the business district of La Défense. Simon’s Jacquemus presented his Fall/Winter 2020 collection following up his tenth-anniversary show last season, proving that he is here to stay. The arena was not only made up with editors, buyers, and all the French “it” girls, but live-streamed for the global fans of the brand that has been built up organically over the decade.
“It was in 1997 and I was seven years old. I took down one of the linen curtains in our home and I created a skirt with scissors and green lace. As a design, it was so simple. But when she wore it – and she did! – she looked beautiful. I wanted to come back to this idea of clothes that could be sophisticated yet minimal and pure. I wanted lots of linen. I wanted pieces that could be worn forever. “
“L’Annee ’97”. This was the year that the Spice Girls broke into the American Market and Dr.Dre introduced us to Slim Shady. We cried at Titanic and mourned Princess Diana. Techies had laptops and mobiles while one-hour photo development was still quite magical. Bill Gates was a young nerd and Amazon was still just the largest rainforest. The Bulls won and a sheep got cloned. What was ’97?
Tonight it was cargo inspired tailored paints and heavy linen suits. Low slung trousers with boxers, not briefs. Earthy beige and khaki. Lavender and Barbie pink. Unbuttoned overalls and boxy down coats. It was oversized and monochromatic polo lo-life chic.
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